The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-06-12
THE LONDON OGRE.
Subseryience of American Women to the 0pin-
ion Of the Prince of Wales-Hero Worship.

| interested in the case of an American girl who
| became victim of stage fever some time ago.
and whose experiences extended from New York
to London. Mrs. Langtry, Mrs. James Brown
| Potter and the rest of the aristocratic amateurs
who have jumped from social notoriety into ex-
| traordinary theatrical prosperity probably
responsible for the first symptoms of stage fever
which attacked the young woman of whom I
write. Indeed, she told me as much. / thought
she was in London when almost ran into her
on the corner of Twenty-ninth street and Fifth
avenue, Saturday afternoon. / don't know
whether she is q handsome woman or not The
opinions of men differ so profoundly on the SUBJ
ject of womans beauty that it is difficult to tell
exactly what type is acceptable. But there is
no doubt that she is in appearance both notable
and striking She wore an English walking
dress with short skirt and sleeves that were
pulled out like those in the familiar pictures
of Queen Elizabeth. A beautiful Scotch
colley walked sedately at / r side. Her
shoulders were thrown we'll back and her head
was crowned by dainty little turban. She
looked as though she mad just stepped from one
or Du Maurlers pictures Her eyes had the
mellow stare that women affect just now, and
her we'll gloved hands clasped parasol at either
end, while she stood placidly or corner watch
ing me lumber heavily and unconscously toward
her. was looking westward at enormous
crowd that completely blocked Twenty ninth
street from curD to curb. races were peerlng
out of windows in the neighborhood, and a
or more of well-cressed but adventurous women
had elm bed the iron staircase that leads to the
upper stories OF the Gilsey building. and
staring eagerly down upon the heads of the
multitude There n great going
half way through the crowd where a coachman
was trying to force his way down the street He
was obliged to give it up in the end. for the peo-
pie would not make room for him to pass. What
struck me particularly was the fact that the
crowd was composed almost entirely of women.
There been a hundred of them
every man. 1t was while looking at them that
/ suddenly became conscious of the English
looking girl directly in front of me-
That is a fallow field" she said, with cares
less nod Of her head toward the crowd as she put
out her hand.
II thought you were in London?"
II returned Saturday the Etruria.' she
said carelessy. still staring down the street
Then she shook her head with air of grim
prophecy again, and said:
Lets walk down and look at the fallow field
shall we? Tits ready for the grain of dIscon-
tent curiosity and all the other cardinal vices
a parched man on desert is ready for swallow
of water. 1t makes blush to think of the
time when L waited for hours, just rs those
fools there do to catch look at that woman's
face"
What woman?'
Mrs. Iangtry."
You don't mean TO say that that crowd of
2.O00 women are waiting to catch a glimpse of
Mrs. Langtry before she jumps into her coupen
Indeed Go. They will wait as have, even
In the pouring rain for hours / have seen them
Ellen Terry after a matinee. 1t was while
standing in such silly proximity and amid such
vast wealth of idiocy and puerle homage that
L made up my mind to be actress If died in
the attempt. After all it is difficult to resist the
fascination which such a spontaneous tribute
must have for q woman.
If she continued, clenching her hands tight
" over her paraso Il could make two three
thousand women wait in the blazing
those women are doing now, just to catch
glimpse of my face it would make me the hap
plest woman In the whole world"
glanced at her closely and saw that she had
grown thinner since her trip abroad. 1 attrib-
uted 1t to the fact that she had met with de-
cided failure there, and that she had been wor-
ried by the financial well as professional loss.
She is a high bred woman, of excellent family
and unquestloned purity of character. Her |
brother aIA Il were classmates at college, and |
have known the girl since she was ten years of |
age She is twenty-three, and she has |
spent $50, 900 within year without acquiring |
much repu tation as would have accrued from |
solitary divorce case, horsewhpping episode |
or a suit for breach of promise with some |
famous millionaire. These is very little chance |
for woman who attempts to make fame nova |
days through the legitimate channels of her art. |
said as much We stood looking for a moment |
at the crowd, and she replied slowly:
There is but one way for American girl |
to succeed IN New York. and that is to come |
here with the three plumes emblazoned her |
forehead in sight of all the world Ability, |
work, ana every other requisite for stage sue
cess amount to nothing beside the royal crest.
with its triple plumes."
You mean the Price of Wales2"
"Of course l mean the ogre who sits with |
his fat face and sleepy eyes and claps his pudgv |
bands in appreciation of the woman who suits his
fancy. TIE actress who keeps aloof from him
cannot even hope for success in London, and
follow London's lead holly and blindly. First
pay ribute, pass the gates and receive the in
dorsement of the despot of the English stage.
and your success is assured. Defy him, and
your endeavor ends thore ard then. When L
look back at the things L have seen during my
year in London, it makes my heart grow
sick to think of the name of Amer
can womanhood The English newspapers
now continually allude to 'Americanism.
The term has but significance in London
and that the vilest in the world. 1t describes
the horde of well-born and handsome society
women of New York and other American cities
who cast themselves, body and SOUL at the head
Of the Prince of Wales and beg with species of
frenzy for a recognition They follow him in
crowds from Cowes to AK. and are as lost to all |
feelings of decacy and shame as though they
had been bred in the Latin quarter of Paris in
stead of the best country in the world Their
husbands. brothers and fathers not even rec |
oguized in London, either by English gentle
men to the caterers and panderers to the |
themselves as to swallow this insult along with |
he because it is glded by the of a |
coming king. Hero worship-there." she said,
stopping abruptly and pointing to the right with |
Ter parasol. while her diseneaged hand fell on
he upturned head of her coey-''speakng of |
Zero worship. what do you think of that crowdF' |
We had drifted slowly up Broadway
alked. and now stood on the corner of Thirtieth
treet, block above the big crowd that waited |
or look at the Langtrv's famous face Direct
v in front of rs Wallack's TheaLer, and I
here another crowd of two or three hundred
women, crowdng boldly about the stage door
The matinee had been for half hour,
nd they still waiting to catch a glance at
mother stage divinity. AS stood there the
oor suddenly flung open and the hero APP 1
,eared. It Mr. Kyrle Bellew, the leading
nan of the Wallack company He pushed back |
lis iron gray locks carelessly from his barred
ead before no placed his tile firmly his |
orehead, and glanced haughtily over the eager I
yes and strained faces of the women who had |
vaited SO long to catch a glimpse of him. They 4
Tere all of them well dressed and most of them !
ooked like intelligent and well hammered wom- |
q. Quite number were under twenty, and
here was a sprinkling OF young married |
7omen among them. 1t what might |
q described as a representative gathering of 1
Jew York women. The hero's naughty glance |
wept them though they were SO much
irt, though every eye beamed on him with
1tensity of emotion that was calculated to |
tract the gaze of man that was apparently |
ass blase in women than leading man of Wal |
.ck's Theater. As the hero stood there he i'm